Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malabo and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $635 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$635

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malabo and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Malabo and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $635 in Malabo versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Malabo $635
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,085 in Malabo versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Malabo $1,085
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,534 in Malabo versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Malabo $1,534
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Malabo costs roughly 74% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Malabo is 53% below, Barcelona is 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.58 FCFA 5,004

$17.66 €15.71

-51.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 FCFA 40.3K

$67.5 €60.0

2.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.29 FCFA 4,839

$13.61 €12.12

-39.09%

Cappuccino

$4.75 FCFA 2,768

$3.10 €2.76

53.23%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 FCFA 472

$3.00 €2.67

-73.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 FCFA 257

$1.93 €1.71

-77.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 FCFA 1,009

$3.84 €3.42

-54.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

Milk (1 liter)

$2.70 FCFA 1,573

$1.25 €1.11

116.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 FCFA 970

$1.97 €1.76

-15.74%

Eggs

$3.66 FCFA 2,137

$4.76 €4.24

-23.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.77 FCFA 3,948

$17.07 €15.19

-60.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 FCFA 3,567

$8.96 €7.97

-31.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.13 FCFA 4,160

$20.65 €18.38

-65.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 FCFA 1,428

$3.16 €2.81

-22.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 FCFA 972

$1.97 €1.75

-15.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 FCFA 2,583

$6.97 €6.20

-36.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 FCFA 846

$1.42 €1.26

2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 FCFA 520

$2.69 €2.39

-66.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 FCFA 1,012

$3.31 €2.94

-47.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.22 FCFA 15.3K

$25.61 €22.79

2.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 FCFA 515

$3.08 €2.74

-71.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.25

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.6K FCFA 19.0M

$33.0K €29.3K

-1.08%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$29.9K FCFA 17.4M

$31.9K €28.4K

-6.36%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$183 €163

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.44 FCFA 10.2K

$14.24 €12.67

22.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.76

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.78 FCFA 19.7K

$51.4 €45.76

-34.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.38 FCFA 8,387

$16.38 €14.58

-12.21%

Cinema Ticket

$5.52 FCFA 3,218

$11.06 €9.85

-50.09%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$944 €840

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$344 FCFA 200.8K

$22.3K €19.8K

-98.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.51

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,510

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 FCFA 130.2K

$1,337 €1,190

-83.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$330 FCFA 192.7K

$2,692 €2,396

-87.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 FCFA 160.4K

$2,077 €1,848

-86.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$852 FCFA 497.1K

$7,155 €6,367

-88.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$651 FCFA 379.6K

$5,079 €4,520

-87.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €1,995

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

3.19

113.17%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Malabo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Malabo

–

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Groceries & Markets

Malabo

–

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Eating Out

Malabo

–

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malabo

–

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Clothing & Footwear

Malabo

–

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Malabo

–

Barcelona

$74 3%

Getting Around

Malabo

–

Barcelona

$49 2%

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $69 in Malabo vs $67 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $152 vs $328, with Malabo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇶 Malabo

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

Same time as Malabo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,000 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 655 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malabo Barcelona 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Malabo
Barcelona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Malabo vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $635 in Malabo and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Malabo is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $953 in Malabo and $3,664 in Barcelona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelona – a meal for two runs $67 versus $69 in Malabo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $635 per month in Malabo versus $2,443 in Barcelona – Malabo is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $635 in Malabo versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Malabo but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Malabo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.